The city of McAllen celebrated Juneteenth on Friday with a surprise announcement: a plan to make permanent improvements to Bethel Garden.

The garden is located on the 1300 block of South 16th Street, where the Bethel Missionary Baptist Church once stood.

"We're going to take some money out of the mayor's state of the city fund and, along with our fantastic people at Parks and Recreation, we're going to re-do the whole gardens," said Mayor Jim Darling.

Darling made the announcement Friday in a video posted on YouTube.

The announcement followed a ceremony at City Hall, where the City Commission made Friday "Juneteenth Observance Day."

The proclamation celebrated "the rich and diverse history of African Americans and strengthening multicultural community life and progress."